May 24, 2012 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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A gathering of gardeners
Courtesy photo
Students and volunteers from Hood Canal School gathered May 18 for
the dedication of the Hood Canal Kiwanis Food Bank Community
Garden, located on Skokomish Valley Road. Students from the school's
• Builders Club and Greenhouse Club have been assisting with the
project.
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By KEVIN SPRADLIN
heuin@n~c~sonoo~Jnty.corn
It might be the automo-
bile club for boats.
Capt. Roger Slade has
opened Vessel Assist, which
aids boat operators in times
of distress, at Hood Canal
Marina in Union.
Slade, a former Coast
Guardsman with nearly 10
yearff experience in the busi-
ness, said the operation will
fill an outstanding need.
Vessel Assist has worked
from Port Townsend and
Port Hadlock for nearly eight
years. But reaching those in
the south end of Hood Canal.
all the way to Belfair. in a
timely manner was difficult.
Slade will operate a 26-
foot aluminum Munson in
hopes of getting to those who
need help in about half an
hour.
"In a real distress call (in
which) someone's in the wa-
ter, there's no Coast Guard
presence down there," Slade
said. "Our policy is. we re-
spond without consideration
for those things. And we
save lives. We're covering a
huge territory."
The cost of doing so is ex-
pensive. So Slade. through
Vessel Assist and BoatUS
or BoatUS Angler member-
ships, can help reduce the
cost of any emergency as-
sistance, from real rescues
to more routine towings and
fueling assistance.
For a non-member, Slade
said the rate is $240 per
hour "from the time we leave
the dock until the time we
get back. We don't just drop
out of the sky."
The average call takes
about four hours. Without
membership, that would cost
a boat owner nearly $1,000.
One boater recently had to
be towed to Everett. The cost
"would have been $3,000,"
Slade said. "As it was. the
boat owner was a member. It
didn't cost him anything."
Memberships range be-
tween $149 and $186 a year.
Along with BoatUS member-
ship, boaters also can receive
discounts on fuel and other
necessities at several places
along the canal, including
Hood Canal Marina and A1-
derbrook Resort.
Partnerships with those
two entities have helped
Slade secure the required
licensing agreemen~ with
BoatUS. He said Hood Canal
Marina recently completed
renovations, including the
addition of a fuel dock.
"That made it possible
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for us to bring a boat down
here," Slade said.
As the shrimping sea-
son opened, there were no
life-and-death emergencies
on Hood Canal. Slade said
many of the calls were fuel
related. Sometimes that
means an operator is out.
Other times, that means wa-
ter might have gotten into
the fuel lines, which would
require a tow.
"In the month of May,
Hood Canal has been our
busiest area," Slade said.
Slade acknowledged that
the services provided by Ves-
sel Assist are pricey. But
ti~at's due to the mandated
training and insurance re-
quirements along with main-
taining a high state of readi-
ness.
So far, the preparation
has paid off.
"Everyone that operates
our vessels is a licensed mas-
ter. We are very, very proac-
tire. I've been doing this for
almost 10 years and we've
had zero injuries," Slade
said.
Vessel Assist is open 24
hours a day, seven days a
week. Slade can be reached
at 301-9764 or 800-391-4869.
More information can be
found online at www.boatus.
com/hoodcanal.
MON-FRI 7:
Page A-8 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, May 24, 2012